Supposedly $30,000 per person is the amount needed for every American to pay off the national debt. So it's not about regular income tax, it's more like being an indentured servant who owes $30,000 and has to pay it off to gain personal freedom. I can see this working in the certain communities, such as communities of agricultural workers at a certain poverty level, who could work on some sort of collective agricultural endeavor overseen by the owner of the property, who would purchase and employ these workers for harvesting cash crops to help improve trade. You could even hire workers based on physical characteristics best suited for long hours in the sun, such as well adapted skin that is resistant to sunburn.